Before mobile advertising even gets significantly off the ground, there’s already an example of a million-dollar settlement being paid out to people who received unwanted text messages. Clothing And Shoemaker Timberland and GSI were subject to a class-action lawsuit that accused them with sending text messages in violation of the U.S. Telephone Consumer Protection Act, according to IDG News Service. The two companies will pay $7 million into a cash fund that will reimburse those who received the messages. The law firm involved in the case says it’s the first nationwide settlement of its kind.

People who received the text messages can apply for a $150 reimbursement here. Timberland and GSI are blaming a third-party company that they say was supposed to secure consent from the people who received the messages.

Marketeers take note: in the world of SMS, it is crucial to partner with an experienced technology provider AND a trusted brand, to navigate the world of TCPA, COPPA, and MMA compliance. Why risk the reputation of your own brand on an SMS provider with no track record, and no name recognition of their own?